We finished Romans 4 this week. Anyone who reads the first four chapters of Romans should have a clear understanding of Justification by faith and that faith is demonstrated by works.  As we learned Pístis – faith, is a noun. Pisteúō – belief is a verb.

Belief is faith in action!

Now we move on to Romans 5 where Paul gets into the meat of what faith looks like in practice.

Therefore, having been justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ, through whom also we have access by faith into this grace in which we stand, and rejoice in hope of the glory of God. And not only that, but we also glory in tribulations, knowing that tribulation produces perseverance; and perseverance, character; and character, hope. Now hope does not disappoint, because the love of God has been poured out in our hearts by the Holy Spirit who was given to us. Rom 5:1-8 NKJV

Peace is eirḗnē the tranquil state of a soul assured of its salvation through Christ, and so fearing nothing from God and content with its earthly lot, of whatsoever sort that is.

Glory is kaucháomai to rejoice.

Tribulation is thlîpsis anguish, burdened, persecution, trouble, pressing together, pressure.

Do you have faith? What about peace? If so, in what do you place your faith? One thing is certain, what we elevate, we serve. Are you consumed by world events and the cares of this life such that you are prone to forgetting God? Or are you so terrified that you refuse to even look at the world? Being consumed can take the form of obsession with circumstances or the fear that drives one’s head into the sand.

The Bible tells us that people perish for two reasons; lack of knowledge and lack of vision. The correct approach is to view the signs of the times while remaining unmoved by circumstances. Mat 16:1-3  True faith is to stare reality dead in the face and remain at peace knowing that God’s purpose and plan will be fulfilled. Faith is partly produced by our history with God. Hope elpís is faith projected into the future. True hope says “I know God will complete what He started because I’ve seen Him complete it thus far.” False hope succumbs to absurd pipe dreams concocted by a misinformed, human imagination.

I wrote Truth or Trump in 2019 discussing how public opinion and markets are manipulated by media via our confirmation biases. I stood amazed as I watched otherwise sane friends and family or what I call the “lobotomized left” defer to a long-standing Marxist agenda whereby Jesus was reframed as a refugee oppressed by the white male patriarchy that he came to overthrow. Meanwhile, the wackified right proclaimed Donald Trump a Biblical Cyrus sent by God to Make America Great Again. Cyrus sent Nehemiah to rebuild Jerusalem after Israel repented in captivity. I was mocked and blocked on social media when I disputed the absurd exegesis and typology.  For the record, God is not a man and can not be oppressed. The moral state of the USA has far more in common with Mystery Babylon than a repentant Israel emerging from captivity.

That said, today the wackified right and lobotomized left seem like muzzled dogs waiting for a coming fight.

Given the current global geopolitical environment and the level of insane online chatter regarding the potential for another civil war on American soil, it might be wise to have some extra beans and rice on hand.

For the record, Cathy and I are political atheists. We pick politicians like plumbers. We want the best job done for the least amount of money. At this point, we view all politics as leaven. Mark 8:15, Mat 16:1-12 The leaven of Herod is the world with its pride and lusts. The leaven of the Pharisees and Sadducees represents a religious spirit / political spirit.

There is no political solution to a spiritual problem.

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Enter the Russians

Philosopher and Geopolitical analyst Alexander Dugin, a.k.a. “Putin’s Brain” is a former geopolitical advisor to Russian President Vladimir Putin. I wrote more about him in Did You Say Prepping? As an Eastern Orthodox Christian, Dugin sees the ongoing conflict between Russia and NATO as the parable of the sheep and goats being played out in real time. Mat 25:31-46  While admittedly unwinnable for either side, Dugin, says a war between Russia and NATO remains inevitable. He says it will be a sovereign act of God and a final separation between the sheep and goats in which case,

Russians will go to heaven as martyrs.  NATO members will go to hell.

At the time of this writing, Dimitri Medvedev has made concrete threats regarding nuclear war. The Biden administration has authorized the use of US weapons by Ukraine inside Russia. Putin has responded by positioning Russian Naval ships 70 miles off the coast of Florida. As many as eleven Russian Submarines are positioned along the East Coast of the US. He also signed a mutual defense agreement with North Korea. North Korean troops are expected to be fighting alongside Russians in Ukraine within a month. Biden just made selective service registration automatic for men between the ages of 18 and 26. While it hasn’t been implemented, the mechanism to do the same for women is being created. If all that wasn’t crazy enough, a terrorist attack using US-made, internationally banned cluster munitions just took place on a beach in Crimea. Russian news sources (see below) are claiming that the targeting could not have been completed without US intelligence support.

“On June 23, during the great Orthodox holiday of the Holy Trinity, the US-backed Kiev regime carried out a horrific attack on civilians in the Russian city of Sevastopol in Crimea. 151 people were injured, including 27 children. 4 people died, including 2 children. All those responsible for this latest terrorist attack will be brought to justice. There is no doubt that the United States is directly involved in this crime…”

“…The US and its satellites, committed yet another heinous terrorist crime against civilians in Russia by firing missiles at Sevastopol. For their terrorist attack, they specially chose a day – Holy Trinity Sunday – one of the most important holidays celebrated by the Russian Orthodox Church. Four people were killed, including a two-year-old boy, who was playing on the municipal beach, and a nine-year-old girl. 151 people applied for medical assistance; 82 – 55 adults and 27 children – were hospitalised, many of them in a grave condition. All patients are receiving skilled medical aid. – According to the Defence Ministry of Russia, the attackers used US ATACMS operational missiles with cluster warheads for greater kill ability. All flight data was entered by US military crews based on US reconnaissance satellite inputs.  A Global Hawk US reconnaissance drone was on duty off Crimea.

The Investigative Committee of Russia has promptly started an investigation into this crime. All those implicated in this and other terrorist attacks in the territory of the Russian Federation will incur inevitable punishment.”

– Russian Permanent Representative to the UN Nebenzya, and Russian Foreign Ministry statement on the terrorist attack at Sevastopol –

The Russians do not make idol threats.

The sheer insanity of repeatedly poking the Russian bear in the eye and daring her to respond is beyond my comprehension and probably yours. Hence your confirmation biases might be telling you to dismiss all of this and return to Sports, Netflix, and video games. Do not be deceived.

The Russians are saying they are ready to fight WWIII.

Enter Donald Trump

Donald Trump looked like a perfectly composed genius compared to Biden in the recent debate. While I view Trump as gasoline on a match rather than a savior, his final statement guaranteeing WWIII, if Biden is reelected resonates with what Russia has promised. Just this past week Alexander Dugin wrote the following regarding the upcoming election.

Most likely, the globalists behind the weak Biden will try to remove the strong Trump from the election and prevent him from becoming president at any cost. Any methods may be employed here: assassination, imprisonment, organizing riots and protests, up to and including a coup or civil war. Or by the end of his term, Biden may start a third world war. This is also quite likely.

-Alexander Dugin-

To be clear, the Russian goal is a decentralized multipolar world where individual nations respectfully compete with one another to find the best solutions for all. In their minds, the primary obstacle is the current unipolar world controlled by the hegemonic USA and its European globalist partners.

First and foremost, a second term for a US president with such an ideology will show that the first term was not an accident (for the globalists), but a regular occurrence. A unipolar world and the globalist project will be rejected not only by supporters of a multipolar world — Russia, China, and Islamic countries — but by Americans themselves. This will deal a powerful blow to the entire network of the liberal-globalist elite. And most likely, they will not recover from such a blow.

-Alexander Dugin-

In the above podcast, Dugin says that the Russians believe they can negotiate with Trump, but not those backing Biden.

The US elections in November 2024 will answer the question of whether humanity has a chance or not. No more, no less.

-Alexander Dugin-

Meanwhile, Israel is prepping for war with Hezbollah as it continues to fight Hamas in Gaza. Iran says it will intervene directly if that happens. If the US and NATO intervene, Iran says it will attack NATO. Biden says he will pull all support if Israel attacks Iran. That might be because Russia says it will attack anyone who attacks Iran. The common denominator in all of this is gradual, continued escalation toward Ezekiel 38-39. That’s another conversation. Now let me ask you a question.

What is your reaction to the above?

And you will hear of wars and rumors of wars. See that you are not troubled; for all these things must come to pass, but the end is not yet. Mat 24:6

Can you look soberly and realistically at the threats we currently face and remain at peace?

There are just a few reactions anytime I discuss these things with or around Christian brothers and sisters. The most common is dismissal. “God loves us. These things have always been,” 2 Pet 3:3-7 they say. “Social media just makes everything seem worse.” Others see a clear and present danger but react in the flesh. Some place their hope in Trump. Others are stocking up on guns and ammunition as if righteousness will be gained by shooting. Others remain willfully oblivious. “I don’t know what’s going on,” they say. “I don’t want to know. I can’t handle it.” Finally, there are a few who view the signs of the times and the emerging threats with 1 Peter 5:8 sobriety.

Calm, Dispassionate, and Circumspect

As Cathy and I preach, counsel, and teach it has become clear that people, including those in the body of Christ, are splitting into two groups. Those who are losing their minds or will lose their minds as their hearts fail for fear of what is coming.  Luke 21:26 And those soberly preparing their hearts and minds to bring the gospel of peace into the chaos. One thing is certain. The world is not becoming saner, more moral, or stable. Could revival come? Certainly! Still, anyone who has studied the history of revival knows revivals are preceded by crisis and a renewed fear of God that compels people to repent.

The root of the matter for believers is in the question: In what is your faith? What does it look like in practice?

Semper Fi

Semper Fi short for Semper Fidelis is Latin for Always Faithful. It is the Marine Corps Motto. Given that I was a Marine it’s got me thinking about belief (faithfulness) and what it means for us in the context of the Christian walk.

The practice of Semper Fidelis is reflected in the Marine Corps Code of Conduct. HONOR, COURAGE, and COMMITMENT. The expression of Semper Fidelis in the life of an individual Marine is rooted in personal character. Every Marine understands that character is produced under pressure. It is defined by one’s actions under pressure. Marines hope for the best by preparing for the worst.

 And not only that, but we also glory in tribulations, knowing that tribulation produces perseverance; and perseverance, character; and character, hope. Now hope does not disappoint, because the love of God has been poured out in our hearts by the Holy Spirit who was given to us.  Rom 5:3-8  

Honor, courage, and commitment in the life of a Christian do not mean we charge off to kill the people we are called to disciple. In fact, Semper Fi for believers today might mean resisting the pressure to kill those we are called to evangelize. The faithfulness of an individual Christian is produced in the transformation of one’s character. Christian character is defined by faithfulness under pressure. So often people are in search of a specific outcome that produces or extends comfort instead of endurance 2 Tim 2:3 and the ability to stand. Eph 6:10-14

If you are young you may be inclined to validate faith and belief according to the intensity of the histrionics displayed. The greater the passion, the greater the faith. Mat 7:15-20 In my experience faith in action is correlated with sobriety, not theatrics. I find that the most histrionic people are often the first to fall when the pressure comes.

I promise you, that a deeper, more sober faith will be required in the coming days. Sobriety produces a calm, dispassionate, wise, and circumspect approach to circumstances. Sober faith understands that God causes or allows circumstances for the refinement of our character. Hence, Jason Upton quotes theologian Walter Brueggemann in his song In the Silence,

“Sometimes praise can be a manifestation of our doubt. God wants to silence us to get to the root of what’s really going on.”

Am I saying the worst-case scenario is guaranteed? Absolutely not. I am a watchman, not a prophet. I am saying that Biblically we are on a trajectory that includes enduring tribulation at some point. We are called to peace, rejoicing, and hope in the midst of it. The purpose of this post and others like it is to pose the question,

Are you spiritually prepared?

Will Romans 5 peace with God be enough if we are called into a time of crushing and breaking? Will we lose our minds and fall away 2 Thess 2:1-3 if our expectations never come to pass? Or will we embrace the transformation of our character and the hope that it brings knowing that in the pressing (tribulation) that we endure for a season, God is making new wine? We may not be faithful, but God is

Semper Fi.

Maranatha